Every second Saturday of the month, Divine Liturgy in English of Sunday - Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Family, Duke Street, London W1K 5BQ.
4pm Divine Liturgy. Next: 13th November 2021

Very sadly, the Divine Liturgy in English at 9-30 am on Sundays at the Holy Family Cathedral, Lower Church, have had to be put on hold. Until the practicalities we cannot use the Lower Church space. Hopefully this will be resolved very soon. Please keep checking in here for details.

Owing to public health guidance, masks should still be worn indoors and distance maintained. Sanitisers are available. Holy Communion is distributed in both kinds from the mixed and common chalice, by means of a separate Communion spoon for each individual communicant.

To purchase The Divine Liturgy: an Anthology for Worship (in English), order from the Sheptytsky Institute here, or the St Basil's Bookstore here.

To purchase the Divine Praises, the Divine Office of the Byzantine-Slav rite (in English), order from the Eparchy of Parma here.

The new catechism in English, Christ our Pascha, is available from the Eparchy of the Holy Family and the Society. Please email johnchrysostom@btinternet.com for details.

Friday 19 February 2010

Chrsitians Flee Mosul, Iraq

MOSUL, Iraq, FEB. 18, 2010 thanks to Zenit.org

The Church's youngest archbishop is asking for prayers as more and more of his faithful leave Mosul because of a violent intimidation campaign that has brought four Christian deaths this week.

Archbishop Emil Shimoun Nona, 42, who has served as the head of the Mosul Archdiocese for less than a month, told Aid to the Church in Need today that the city's few remaining Christians are panicked. Under the pressures of a politically-motivated campaign to force Christians out of the city, many have fled.

Archbishop Nona, whose predecessor was kidnapped and killed in 2008, said if the situation does not improve, the ancient Christian community will disappear.

"If the situation continues as it has done, especially over the p ast few days, all the people will leave. It is very difficult to live in this kind of situation," he told the charity group. "It is panic -- panic always. The Christians don’t know what will happen to them -- it is the same everywhere: in the office, at school or even at home. They don’t know if somebody is going to kill them."

This week, a 20-year-old student teacher, an engineering student, and two traders have been killed in Mosul. Another student was injured. Another man was kidnapped from his home.

Archbishop Nona confirmed the attacks had prompted more Christians to leave the city, saying that Wednesday alone, he received news of up to 10 families fleeing Mosul.

In 2000, as many as 5,000 Christian families lived in Mosul. They have endured multiple attacks, particularly in September 2008, after which about half the Christian population fled the city. Many of those subsequently returned.

Still, according to t he prelate, Mosul is the most dangerous place for Iraqi Christians.

He said there is a concerted effort to force Christians to leave the city, though he admits, "We don’t know who is behind the attacks."

"We think that they are politically-motivated -- that some group has something to gain if all Christians go," Archbishop Nona said.

He added that Mosul authorities have claimed it is impossible to improve security conditions for Christians, though Church leaders have repeatedly requested it.

The archbishop affirmed: "We desperately need you to pray for us."

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